From & To Sathish #5 - Page 95

Avan, Aval, Adhu 321

They were halfway to their destination of Kumarapalayam when Madhu spotting a restaurant leaned forward and requested her aide to stop there. Getting out of the vehicle, Madhu stood staring at the large signboard that announced " Subway Sandwiches " and hearing Spartan, her aide addressing her, she turned and looked in the direction he was pointing and heard him say, ' Not just Subway ma'am but look there, you have Domino's Pizza available here in Madurai.'

She looked at him curiously, ' Why does that surprise you, Spartan? Can I then assume that you are not from around here?'

' You can, ma'am. I never put my roots down and after college, I have been moving around a lot.'

' Okay, Mr.Spartan, what do you suggest?'

' Ma'am, I am sorry but....'

' I mean, what do you think is best? Order and eat in the car or go in and eat inside the restaurant.'

Her aide nodded and looked at the building and from just the way his eyes scanned the building, Madhu realized that he was weighing the pros and cons of where they were going to have their lunch.

A brief few moments later, he looked at her with a pleasant smile and said, ' We will go in ma'am.'

Both of them entered the restaurant although it was her aide Spartan who led her in by opening the door and then he did a curious thing that left her wondering about him.

The moment they entered, Madhu spotting an empty table near a large window, walked towards it but then Spartan pointing to another table that was set deeper inside the place, suggested that they go sit there.

When they reached their table, he again chivalrously pulled out a chair and Madhu left with no choice, thanked him, and sat in it. Then she quietly observed him sit in the chair opposite to her with his back against the wall and then was left feeling puzzled as he moved the chair a bit away from her and to the side of the table.

Madhu looked at him and said politely, ' Please forgive me for being impolite here but Mr.Spartan, don't you think that tables near the entrance had a better ambiance? There was so much light coming in through the windows and the garden outside was such a cooling balm to the eyes and mind.'

Using her right hand, she pointed to the table and around them, ' There is hardly any light here and sadly no windows but for the kitchen door that is a few feet away. I am sure that each time that door opens one can hear clangs of utensils and all other noises that only a kitchen can make. Just imagine this place during the weekend.'

Spartan was about to reply when a woman dressed smartly in an orange jumpsuit and black shirt, came to their table and greeted them warmly.

' Good afternoon, Ma'am, sir. Welcome to our Restaurant ' and politely offered each of them a menu card.

Madhurima who by now was familiar with her aide's ways asked him what he would like to order. He thanked her and informed the woman who was going to serve them that he would like a Club Sandwich and quickly added, ' Very little mayonnaise and a lot of chicken.'

Madhu ordered a whole wheat vegetarian Club Sandwich and she too added, ' Very little mayonnaise and don't forget, eggless and two large cups of filter coffee. Please, can you bring us two water bottles?'

The woman was about to turn and leave when Spartan said, ' One moment, please, I would like to change my order ' and Madhu quickly said, ' Mr.Spartan, it is okay. Everyone around me is Non-vegetarian. So, it is okay.'

The woman informed them that she would bring their food in fifteen minutes and left them staring at each other.

He looked at her and nodded politely and thanked her.

' It's okay. No need to thank me. One should eat what one likes. But coming back to the unanswered question ' she looked at him and asked again, 'why are we sitting here at this table?'

The change was subtle but clearly visible for she was sitting just across the table from Spartan and her eyes clearly saw the way his body went still and his eyes that had been flitting from one corner to another corner taking in everything and every moment, now stopped and looked at her.

' Vantage point, ma'am. From where I am sitting I can see everything that comes and goes through the front door and at the same time, I can keep a watch over the kitchen door and see who is coming and going. At the same time, this seat which I am in gives me enough time to move against any threat and counter any attack that might be launched against you.'

Seeing her shocked expression, ' Ma'am, it comes with the job, training, and the territory.'

Madhurima sighed and looked at him with inquisitive eyes, ' Are we in any danger?'

Her aide smiled, ' This is what I respect about you ma'am. You could have just used " I " instead of We, but you included me too and that shows your kind and empathetic heart. Thank you. No. You are not in any danger. But then there is protocol and all that and in my opinion, it always pays to be over-cautious and we have a saying among our kind that " None have ever come to grief from being over cautious " and I totally agree with that.'

Their lunch was served and both dug into their food, and after taking a few bites of her sandwich, Madhu wiped her lips with a tissue and smiled contentedly, and declared, ' Mr.Spartan, no matter what people complain about fast food like sandwiches, burgers, and Pizzas, I tell you that there is no denying the fact that they are delicious ' and raising a finger, ' But only when eaten moderately.'

' I totally agree with you, ma'am. That too when eaten on a hungry and empty stomach like mine right now, it is out of the world.'

Madhu's eyes saw his left hand that was gripping the sandwich, and her kind heart sank in despair catching sight of the pale circle of flesh on his finger where a wedding ring should have been butt was not, she quickly averted her eyes but not quickly enough, for her aide's sharp eyes had seen what she had seen.

' Ma'am. I and my wife are happily married and doing great. So...'

' Thank God ' Madhu exclaimed and then apologized for her assumption. ' I am sorry, Mr. Spartan. It's just that I have always wished the best for everyone and don't want anyone to suffer even the slightest pain.'

Pointing to him, ' Especially not you, young man. Anyway, all the best and please convey my blessings and wishes to your wife.'

' Ma'am, I am not that young and I will be 35 in a few weeks' time, also, please include our son in your blessings.'

' Oh. Good. Great. How old is he and what are their names, Spartan?'

He smiled and Madhu realizing that he was following his department's protocol, apologized again and said, ' Ok, then their names will be Mrs.Spartan and Master Spartan or simply Spartan Junior.'

Avan, Aval, Adhu 322

The Earth is bound to the Sun by the star's immense gravity. Bound and tied, our tiny world spins around on its axis like a ballet dancer and at the same time twirls and circles its single parent. Like the highs and lows of life that bring joy and sorrow to each of our lives, each twirl of our planet around its star brings with it the seasons. Then again, like in life, which sometimes only brings wave after wave of loss, pain, and sorrow, our planet too sometimes experiences wave after wave and we call it a heat wave, and then it is followed by seasons of heavy rains and floods. Like the earth, our lives too sometimes feel like a choice between the frying pan and the fire, and at the same time, drowning in a deep sea.

Madhu's big brown eyes widened as light entered her eyes. A heaviness gripped her heart as memories of old flooded and filled the dam of her soul. Forgetting herself and her surroundings, she absent-mindedly whispered, ' It is true Ravi. The light changes during the winter and the shadows fall and lengthen as the sun falls early into its western bed only to rise again from its eastern cradle.'

She closed her eyes and let her pain fall and flow as diamonds and pearls and add salt to her sandwich and the man sat quietly watching her tears fall from memories of old.

His eyes dropped down to his plate just as her eyes opened in the realization of where she was and Madhu quickly dabbed at her eyes and said, ' I have lost my appetite ' and pushed her plate away.'

Spartan looked at her and said, ' Ma'am, please forgive me but your tears have run and have ruined your kann mai ' and quickly added, ' I mean your eyeliner.'

Madhu dipped into her handbag and bringing out a small compact powder case, used the tiny round mirror inside it to wipe away the khol streaks on her face and then looked at her aide and said, ' Thank you. I thought, I hoped that you wouldn't have noticed ' and with a pensive smile, ' but I guess you see everything and miss nothing.'

' No, I don't ma'am ' and then Madhu who herself was a sharp observer, saw his eyes slowly drift to the left and then relax. The next moment the door opened and a young girl approached their table and placing their coffees in front of them, enquired politely if they needed anything else.

Madhu thanked her and said, ' That will be all. Thank you. Can you please bring us the bill?'

She turned and gasped as the aroma of the filter coffee hit her and again and transfixed she sat staring at the steam, vapour from the coffee cup rose up. The colorless tendrils of steam were like a bunch of snakes uncoiling themselves and raising their hoods all at once.

Her memories took her back to those days when she used to walk with Ravi through the slightly dusty streets of Kumarapalayam and both of them used to stare with fascination at the rays of light that pierced through the trees and raced to earth furrowing through the dusty air, leaving behind ghostly but beautiful pathways, gateways that connected heaven above with the earth below.

The tears threatened to rain down as her heart filled itself with that memory when she had asked Ravi, ' Jaanu, will you remain by my side and in my heart forever?'

Ravi had smiled his wise Buddha smile and had replied that he would. ' I will Madhu. I will until there is no breath left in my body and until the cold takes control of my body. Even after I am gone, every cell in my body will decompose, break down and join the earth and all the living things that are in it.'

Madhu giggled and nudged him, ' No poetry, Jaanu. Poets have the liberty to lie when writing a poem and their imaginations are allowed flights to all other worlds. Regardless that they are just made up of dreams and hopes.'

She remembered how his face had shrunk reflecting his hurt heart hearing her words.

He had looked at her with a grave expression and had said, ' Madhu, death is not the end. Maybe it is for our shells, these physical bodies. But, what about all that is in every cell of our body? In our DNA etc.'

Madhu raising her hand to stop him, pleaded, ' Jaanu, Ravi, You know I am kind of weak in chemistry and Biology. So, please elaborate, sir.'

Ravi had elaborated and Madhu had fallen in love with him all over again. If that was even possible. For, how is it possible to love someone whom you already love? By falling deeper and deeper into them and becoming one with them.

' Madhu, even after I did, and if I die before you, please bury my body near a tree. For, I want my body to decompose, break down, and then I want all the elements in every cell of my body to become one with the tree and slowly rise through its roots up to its branches and leaves.'

Madhu smiled, ' Jaanu, you will become a tree? Why not come back? I mean reincarnation and all that.'

' Maybe, I will if that is what is my fate. But, if I become a tree, then I can stand over you and shelter you when you come to visit me.'

' Only when I come to visit you? What if I cannot come regularly and what if I am too old to walk to your tree?'

Ravi smiled and whispered, ' Madhu, I have an idea for that too. I want you to bury me under a jasmine tree ' and pointing to a tree that towered over them, ' this tree is called Mara Malli, Malligai Maram or Jasmine tree. Its Latin name is Millingtonia hortensias.'

Reaching down, Ravi had scooped up the fallen Jasmine flowers in his hands and looked at her, and said, ' Even if you are far away from me, I will fall as a flower and drift, roll, tumble, and reach you and lay as a carpet for you to walk on. When you come to visit me, I will rain myself on you and make a bed of my flowers for you that you can sleep on. In that way, you will be one with me again and breathe my essence into your soul.'

Spartan who had been sitting quietly until then whispered to her softly, ' Ma'am, Ma'am ' and hearing his voice, Madhu came out of her time travel journey and looked at him and saw him point at the windows and say, ' Ma'am, it is getting late and the light is changing and quickly. We need to get going.'

Madhu nodded and said, ' Yes.'

She looked at the light that was changing from bright white to a slightly orangish tone and thought to herself, ' One last sunset before I return to Mumbai. One last time for our sake Jaanu. I will see the setting sun as if it is you that I will be leaving behind once again. At least, I am glad that I was able to bring you back to consciousness from the darkness that you had fallen in. That is enough for me and for now.'

Then suddenly remembering something, she gasped loudly in fear and cursed, ' Oh no! How could I have forgotten that? ' and hurriedly looked at Spartan and said, ' The ICU ' and stopped with that.

Spartan smiled and said in a calm voice, ' Don't worry ma'am. I have taken care of it.'

Madhu totally confused and taken aback by his words said, ' Take care of what, sir? I have not even told you what I am worried about?'

Spartan smiled and said, ' I erased it, ma'am.'

' What did you erase? ' Madhu asked him and looked at him, ' But how and when?'

' Don't worry about it, ma'am. Trust me. It's been taken care of.'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZgddLO1FIo&t=23s

Avan, Aval, Adhu 323

śarīrasya guṇānāśca dūramantya antaram ।⁣⁣

śarīraṃ kṣaṇaṃ vidhvaṃsi kalpānta sthāyinō guṇā: ।।⁣⁣

Meaning: There is a lot of difference between the human body and its qualities. Because the Human body lives for a short period whereas the Qualities are remembered forever.⁣⁣

Like a raging forest fire that jumps from one tree to another tree in a blink of an eye, news of their town's beloved son and Headmaster's arrival into Kumarapalayam spread from one to another and then there was no stopping the human tsunami wave that surrounded their vehicle.

Ravi's thoughts were somewhere else along with his soul but he had no choice after catching sight of all the people gathered by the roadside. He requested the driver to stop and once the vehicle had come to a complete halt, he slowly got down from the vehicle and was instantly engulfed by a wave of love and warmth. Ravi stood soaking in all of his people's emotions.

The kids swarmed around him like moths seeking light and bloomed like flowers do, once they have connected with their parent, the sun, and basked in its light.

There were tears of joy and relief and there were tears of concern and sorrow that their town's favorite son had suffered a nearly critical injury. The older women cursed angrily and prayed to God to punish the ones who had dared to harm their master sir. Then several women came with Arti plates and went about their rituals and in the end, everyone lovingly placed a dot of kungumam on his face and some covered his face with sandalwood paste.

Just when it was getting a bit out of hand, Rasaathi Ammal yelled loudly, ' My son, your son is still weak and needs to rest. Please, don't tire him. Let me take him home.'

Ravi thanked all of them and said, ' Thank you. Thank you so much. I am okay now, so please don't worry about me. '

Then he looked at all the kids and said, ' I will be ready in a few days' time and then you can all come and visit me at home ' and then in a slightly serious tone, he said, ' I hope all of you are studying properly. I will know soon enough who has and who hasn't. So, go back home and back to your studies.'

Then hearing loud noises all of them looked around and up and in all directions and saw hundreds of birds sitting and watching them from the branches of the trees, and then a large raven suddenly dropped from the branch it was sitting on and glid like a plane and made a perfect landing on Ravi's shoulder.

It slowly moved and nibbled his ear and made a strange squawking sound. It might have been strange in its noise and might have sounded vague as it entered everyone's ears. But, once it reached all their hearts, minds, and souls, they knew that there was nothing strange about the caws and squawks the large Raven ( andang kaakai) was making. It was talking, expressing the joy of seeing Ravi again. A bird it might have been but a soul it too had and from it, the Raven crow expressed its joy and its sorrow of seeing its friend again and how much it had missed him.

Ravi gently scratched its head and rubbing its neck, lovingly spoke to it, ' Janaki. How are you, child? It's okay. I am back and I am not going anywhere. I am sorry for not telling you before leaving so abruptly.'

In the face of love, we are moved. In the face of love which is the true face of God, we smile, cry, and celebrate. Love in all its form is a celebration of life. It is an expression of this universe of being alive and having realized the true meaning of being alive.

To love. To give love and receive love with gratitude, humility, and all the respect it deserves.

A passing stranger will nod but with a grim face but even in that barely imperceptible nod, love is present in some degree and some myriad shade through acceptance and even in a slight smile by an unknown person, a message is being sent.

" I see you. I acknowledge you."

See, accept, and acknowledge are all such beautiful and glorious states of mind and when done with an open heart and without any kind of assumptions and judgments, it becomes Godly in nature.

Avan, Aval, Adhu 324

I must have something to engross my thoughts, some object in life that will fill this vacuum, and prevent this sad wearing away of the heart. Elizabeth Blackwell

Meenakshi was alone in the house. But she did not feel lonely. Meenakshi had never felt loneliness for her head was always full of thoughts. Once, long ago, Ravi's presence had filled her world and made her complete and peace reigned supreme in her soul's domain. That had been heaven and he had been her angel, king, and God.

Then he had walked out of her world and life but not out of her heart and soul. But his leaving had not left her feeling empty for they had come, dark spirits with their whispers of rage and vengeance, and had slowly corrupted her. This hell was her new heaven and her anger and loss were now the angels of death and she sat in the middle as the Devil itself and the queen of her own vacuum.

The house was as silent as a mausoleum and if it had a way to convey its thoughts, then it would have whispered, ' Even graves and ghosts make some noise that might not be heard by humans but can be heard or felt by other entities. But even that is absent here for this place is a vacuum and its name is Meenakshi.'

' You are mine and you will remain mine. It does not matter where our love will take me and what it will make me do. I will go and I will prevail. I have nothing else but you, Ravi, and nowhere else to go but to you, Ravi.'

It hurt terribly to have seen Ravi lying in the ICU like a fallen teak tree but at least he was safe now and away from the clutches of that woman called Gayatri who had decided to run away and return back into the hole from which she had crawled out.

Her mobile phone rang and she saw it was one of her spies who were honest and faithful. Not to her but to the money that she threw at them like bones thrown at a dog.

' Sollunga SI Francis.'

Unable to hear his reply, she growled angrily, ' Speak more loudly. What is wrong with you? Your voice sounds as if you are talking from inside a drum.'

' Ma'am, things have changed. It took me all of this hour to make this call and even now I am calling from inside the toilet. Something is going on in our department. It is not like before. I think all of us are being secretly monitored and the scary part is each of us doesn't know who is watching whom. '

Deciding that it was better to play safe and play nice, she softened her voice and asked, ' I see. ' What is it SI? Any news from Kodaikanal?'

The Sub-Inspector whispered ' No ma'am, but I have some news from the hospital.'

' I have seen and heard enough bad things for today. So start with the good news.'

' Ma'am, Ravi sir regained consciousness an hour ago.'

' What, how, and why have you waited this long to call and tell me this?'

' Sub Inspector Francis whined, ' ma'am, as I said, we are all being monitored and maybe even our phones might soon come under surveillance.'

' All right. All right. How is he doing? Is he able to speak or at least recognize people?'

' Aiyo amma. That man is something else and definitely not a human at all.'

Meenakshi made an exasperating noise and said angrily, ' Francis, you are killing me with all your suspenseful narration. All I want to know is how Ravi is doing and if he has recovered from that stab wound and from being poisoned .'

' Amma, that is what I am trying to tell you. He is fully recovered and walked out of the hospital and returned to Kumarapalayam.'

Meenakshi could not believe what she had just heard and her voice broke and choked as she asked, ' Really? He is okay and he is able to walk.'

' He walked past me and did that without any help or support. He even refused Iyaa's support and I heard him say " Uncle, let me walk on my own for I want people to see that I am perfectly okay " and went out and greeted the crowds that have been standing there since last night.'

' Thank you, Francis. Thank you for calling me and conveying this good news. No, great news. Please come and see me when you find the time.'

' Thank you ma'am ' and remembering something, ' Amma, I might not be able to talk to you today for I have been deputed to handle a murder case just outside the city.'

' Murder? ' Meenakshi asked and heard Sub Inspector Francis answer, ' Yes ma'am. But it is no big deal for it is just an old man and that too a Paliyan tribal. Must be some family problem. Somebody set him on fire.'

' Francis, just an old man and that too a bloody lower caste tribal dog.'

' I know ma'am. Anyway, nothing is going to come out it and moreover, it really does not matter and I will close the case in a few days.'

Meenakshi laughed loudly and said, ' Another suicide case, right.'

' Yes ma'am.'

' Okay, then Francis. All the best and keep me posted.'

Avan, Aval, Adhu 325

“They say life is a highway and we all travel our own roads, some good, some bad, yet each is a blessing of its own.”

The bottle slipped from my slippery grip and fell to the ground and lay there spilling out its innards. Water. I stood staring as the bottle nearly emptied itself and armed with a dry rag, I fell to my knees. The rag absorbed, and my hands wrung, and the wet rag let go of the absorbed water and returned it to its dry state. Nearly done.

My heart, my soul, and all the abstract vessels that define me crashed and lay broken spilling the innards of my inner thoughts and fears. I stood staring all around me and falling to my knees, used my abstract palms to gather the pieces and tried to make them one and whole. But sadly, my thoughts slipped away and made good their escape, turning into miserable wispy imps that have gone into orbit around me.

Dry rag to soak in spilled water and that which can be wrung. But what about love and hate and what can you use to soak them from your soul and where do you wring it out?

Into other fellow souls. Some are already full and refuse while some willingly accommodate my innards which are my thoughts. Some are willing but they are leaking themselves for they too have been broken and are being broken. They wait on me and patiently wait for me to spill into their heads.

Our souls slipped and crashed and I stood watching as the essence of our souls spilled out and lay under our glares.

Four abstract palms now gathered the broken pieces of life and soul and together we are now unbroken and whole.

It had been a long time since she had really prayed and prayed from her heart. It had been many years since she had prayed for another person. Don't get me wrong, Meenakshi had prayed, did pray for Ravi, and included him in her thoughts but then they were not actual prayers but more of wishes and hopes that she communicated to God.

She prayed but it was really an illusion for she was telling God what she wanted, desired, and needed. So, her praying was in reality only wishing. When she include Ravi in her prayers, she was only wishing to be reunited with him and in the end, it was all about her and her needs.

But for the very first time and totally unaware of it, Meenakshi closed her eyes and prayed to God to bless Ravi with good health and long life. God listened. God always listens to prayers that rise from purity and knows the difference between a selfish wish and a genuine prayer.

Far away in Kumarapalayam, Dharmalinga Thevar's driver brought the car to a gentle halt outside Ravi's house. Getting down Ravi stood basking in the air of his home and his hometown. The trees were abuzz with the cries of a variety of birds and Rasaathi Ammal looked up and said, ' They left when you left, Ravi.'

With eyes full of regret, she looked at Ravi, ' She came here for you. Gayatri came here looking for you and instead found me sitting in an empty house with an empty heart. She asked me why the house was so quiet and felt so desolate and I pointed to the trees and said, ' They have all left in search of you.'

Ravi hugged her and said, ' The birds have returned mother and I promise you, Gayatri too will return soon.'

Rasaathi Ammal sighed and nodded, ' I guess she will but..' pausing in mid-sentence she again looked at him but this time her eyes were unreadable when she continued, ' She will my son but what will she return to and what will she find here once again but ghosts and half empty souls and half dead humans.'

' Mother, what do you want me to do here? Is there anything right to say or do here in this situation? If her love is real then my love too, is real even though it might be old, cold, and with a person who is not present here with me.'

' Not present, Ravi? I am sorry but that person is an absentee my child and has been absent for a long, long time.'

Far but not very far away from them, the absentee landlord of Ravi's soul stood staring into the distance and lost in thought and at the same time drowning in fear.

' Ma'am, are you all right? '

Madhurima came out of her thoughts and said, ' I don't know Spartan. I don't know if I am doing the right thing here and I am scared of the consequences of my actions and the reactions.'

' Whose reactions, ma'am?'

She looked into his calm, friendly eyes, ' It's a long and sad story, my friend.'

Spartan smiled and pointed to the west, ' It will soon be time for the sun to set ma'am. '

' Okay, Spartan. We will go to this place for I guess no harm can fall on a person for wanting to see a sunset for one last time.'

' Why one last time, ma'am?

Her eyes were full of gloom and doom when she answered his question.

' It's been 25 years, Spartan and I am guessing that the stormy waters of our lives have settled but there is no telling what can happen again and what can break out from the depths of the waters when they have been stirred again.'

She opened the door of the car and turned to Spartan and said, ' There is a road that takes one directly to this place that we are going and it bypasses Kumarapalayam.'

Her aide smiled and tapped his phone, ' I Googled it ma'am and this road comes just before the main road that goes into the village.'

Then in a very calm and reassuring manner, he told her it was going to be all right.

' Don't worry ma'am. I will see that no harm comes to you or even near you. If such a situation does happen then I can tell you with confidence that it will have to first face me before crossing to reach you.'

' Thank you, Spartan. Your words remind me of someone else who said it, meant it, and acted it out, and then....'

She looked at him sadly, ' I don't think it will come to that for we are just going to go this place and be there until sunset and then we will leave immediately.'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ_bQcy6CNs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmU-jroGDeM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIXUH0hFbs0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JQgkQIeUzM